God keep our land glorious and free

It might seem natural that in a federal election that was called for partisan reasons the campaign has been rather unfocussed.

Even worse, wedge issues are being used in an attempt to divide Canadians. Fortunately even the prime minister’s attempt to make abortion an election issue by revoking the charitable status of crisis pregnancy centres didn’t garner him the division he was hoping for.

The issues that Canadians are thinking and talking about are the focus of this week’s Catholic Conscience electoral guide. By following the links to the CC website, you’ll the parties’ key policy proposal, examined through the lens of Catholic social teaching. Catholic teachings are placed alongside party positions so you can decide your vote based on these important themes:

• Sanctity of Human Life: from Conception to Natural Death
• Stewardship of Creation
• Family, Community & the Common Good
• An Economy for All
• The Individual & Society: Rights, Responsibility, & Subsidiarity
• Solidarity
• Good Government: Democracy, Justice, & Peace

In addition to needing the Church’s social teaching, it’s also safe to say that one of Canada’s greatest urgencies right now is a leader who is able to unite a badly divided country.

Canadians are not only polarized, they’re also demonstrating an alarming inability or unwillingness to listen or relate to others’ viewpoints. On issues ranging from the pandemic and the environment to health care and the economy, there’s a disturbing trend toward reliance on insults, judgment, and shutting down communication. 

It’s understandable why many Canadians have reached a point of walling themselves off from one another. The pandemic and to a large degree social media have widened the fault lines between people to the point that many now stake their identity on their political views.

An obvious example is the growing division between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, with angry rhetoric oversimplifying and obscuring the complexity of views that people can have.

One individual could be pro-vaccine and double-jabbed yet still have concerns about mandates. Another could have doubts about vaccines yet still support government or health workers doing what they think best for the safety of the vulnerable.

Tweeted insults and angry mobs resorting to violence are not the way to strengthen Canadian society. Calling someone who supports mandates a “tyrant” or someone who opposes them a “covidiot” does nothing constructive and makes it more difficult to find common ground.

The dismal narrative we’ve been living with for 1½ years is deteriorating, and if Canada is to remain a strong country rooted in civil rights, Charter values, diversity of viewpoints, and respect for one another, it needs a leader who can make it happen. The ability for someone to pull Canadians together is as important an issue as any this election.

As we try to navigate the storms and come out on the other side without mutiny, we need a captain at the helm who can keep the crew together.